Answering the big questions about Australia’s future

CSIRO

Communicating the extraordinary diversity and breadth of the work of the nation’s leading scientific and industrial research organisation presented an acute public relations and stakeholder engagement challenge.

As an organisation perhaps best known for inventing Aerogard and the world’s first polymer banknote, CSIRO asked Fenton to work with them to help highlight the importance and impact of their research in helping government and industry respond to national issues such as sustainable development and food security.

We created a strategy to reach target audiences and the Australian community with strong key messages focused on the big issues facing the country while demonstrating CSIRO’s capacity to invent and develop new technology for Australian industries.

The Fenton team developed a new national media engagement program targeting in-depth stories that featured leading researchers and scientists.

We developed a national public relations program to tell people about the CSIRO Scientists and Mathematicians in Schools program, highlighting the importance of cultivating a thirst for knowledge and innovation in schools.

Fenton writers and designers worked with the heads of CSIRO Flagship projects to develop new overarching key messages and a set of ‘big issues’ papers to clearly articulate the kinds of research-based responses necessary to address Australia’s most significant future challenges.

We achieved significant coverage in a range of regional, national and metropolitan newspapers and radio including career profiles and in-depth discussions with leading scientists, as well as state-by-state newspaper stories about the Scientists and Mathematicians in Schools program.